I'm Baaaaack!

Hi world (and to anyone who has dared to keep me on their blog site!) I take no offense to those who didn't :) It HAS been almost a year and a half!!!

Anywho, being that this is my first blog back from a ridiculously long break, I need to say a couple of things:

1. In regards to my prior post, THANK YOU for all who voted for Prop 100 (we were given contracts on the last day of school that year!). WOO HOO!!! I love my job...

2. Shortly before that school year ended, I had found out we were expecting...and on December 3, 2010, we welcomed our wonderful little boy, Benjamin Nash Dosil, into the family at 6:59 am. He was 6 lb. 13 oz. and 20 inches long...oh my, my poor son. This is the first official 'recording' of anything regarding him since his birth. I promise you my handsome little man, I WILL get better at that!

3. Since it has been so long, I do not remember how to post pictures and will require help from a fellow blogger to refresh my memory :) Any takers? I've got some really cute new baby pictures that need to be shared with the world...

4. I have 2 children growing TOO fast before my eyes- one starting 'kindergarten' (she's doing this early) and the other who has just cut 2 teeth within 1 week (ewww, I know).

Signing off for now (but not for too long)
Kelli

Civic Duty.

This is for all you fellow Arizona residents out there who feel the weight of our upcoming special election...

I am highly encouraging you to

VOTE "YES" ON PROP 100

on Tuesday, May 18, 2010.

If you are not registered to vote, there is still time, you have until April 19th to do so!!!

This proposition will save hundreds (if not, thousands) of jobs for educators, support staff, and let's not forget the most important people affected...children.

Should this not pass, woe to our youth and their future. They will be packed like sardines in classrooms (and yes, this includes your future kindergartner, not just high school students), without supplies (unless funded by the teachers themselves who will likely be taking a pay cut anyway...), and without, or greatly reduced, support staff, special areas such as art, music, P.E., library, etc. Face it,

if this doesn't happen now, we are really only taking, no scratch that,

we are STEALING from our children's future.

I shudder at the thought of what Abby's classroom could look like one day,

unless action is taken and "YES" is the vote!

What a 'Hair-Raising' Experience!

Umm...we brought the 80's back!

(all we are missing is a day-glo t-shirt, tight rolled jeans, and some Keds)

A Good Cry Always Wears Me Out...

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Happy Easter Everyone!

What a cutie!

...and sorry this is a few days late (well, really a few months- 4 to be exact!) and I am not going to play catch up with the past four months, so...you can just ask me if you are dying for details about other events (although I may have to post on Kyle's New Year's Day incident...).

Anyhow, our day started out like any other Sunday. Got up, got ready, went to church...

...and were met with about 350 other people (doesn't seem like a lot, but our church is small, so it was a lot for us)! It was jam-packed, but it was great! Princess Abby was none too pleased to have to sit on my lap and insisted that she belonged in her own seat, but when I pointed out that no other little kids had their own spot, she relented. Well, the baggie full of teddy grahams, animal crackers, those little Oreo crisps, and well, let's throw in a vanilla creme cookie for good measure, helped a bit too ;)

Service was great, and a terrific reminder of God's great love for us! It truly is my favorite day of the year :) If you are interested at all in hearing the sermon, click on the link below:

http://podcasts1.stretchinternet.com/cglc/podcasts/feed.php

After church, we headed to my Aunt Cindy's house to say hello quickly before heading over to Nana Kate's house for a picnic at her neighborhood park. We were lucky enough to see our friend Edward (he was working) and Melynda even stopped by with Gabriel and Kiera to play in the park (and say hi to dad!) before moving on to their family outings. The kids had fun playing with bubbles (really, who doesn't?), running around, playing on the swings, and digging in sand.

Next we went home for a nap. Oh! But not before making it about 20 feet from Kate's house when Abby tells us, "I got my chocolate bunny open!" Are you serious?!?! All white?!?! I told Kyle to pull over and that girl had a blanket wrapped around her from neck to toes!!! The whole way home, Kyle and I were telling her, "Keep your hand high in the air Abby." "Don't touch anything!" Then Kyle tells her to lick her hand...

...oh, chocolate Easter bunny, you are not my friend :(

When we got home, the Easter Bunny had visited Abby and brought her a cool, new singing/dancing bunny and a pretty, new strawberry necklace. Pictures below are of her checking them out.

What? It sings AND dances!

It took awhile to convince her the necklace was for her, not the bunny.

After nap, we headed to Papa and Nana's house for an Easter egg hunt and some yummy dinner ;) We did watch Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakwel and Abby learned some verses to All the Single Ladies ;)

I'm already looking forward to coloring eggs and eating lots of yummy food next year!

Abby's first photograph!

God Bless, everyone! Love, the Dosil family

Getting Caught Up...

Where does the time go? Out the window, under the rug, out with the trash (do you have days like that too?), just gone. Sometimes I get a little sad when all of the sudden I look back and think, "When did my daughter learn to do that?" or "How many days have gone by since I talked with my folks?" or even "Whoa, how did I get this far and not even know it?" my favorite, "What day is it?". Enough of my complaining, sorry :( Allow me please to digress a bit...

One of my favorite questions that I hear from people, "How can you spend 3 hours of your Sunday at church? Don't you want to be at home with your family?" Well...it is the only time that I know I have guaranteed to slow down and focus on something not me, or my husband, or my daughter, or my house, or my job, or the laundry that needs to be done, or the toys that need to be put away, or the emails/phone calls I need to make to my students' parents, or dinner that needs to be cooked, which always makes me think of the groceries I have to buy. It is the only time I really, truly give myself to let God fill me up, because shamefully so, I don't give Him all that attention as much as I should throughout the week, and I need to. He gets the backseat sometimes and I think it's easy for me to push Him there because I know He is going to love me know matter what and not give me grief about it. He's just waiting there for me to slow down and drink Him in. I love Sundays. Why can't we have 7 of them?

I know that amidst all my craziness and hayday is that, despite it all, I'm alive, I have a wonderful, seriously amazing husband who comes home to us everynight to eat and play and give baths and read stories (I love you hon!), I have a sweet little girl who melts my heart even when she's being a stinker and especially when she's having a wonderful conversation with me about her dress up clothes and what they match and ... this could go on forever, I have a home to come home to, I have an awesome job that I believe (aside from parenting) trumps most others anyday, I've got clothes to wear, my daughter has toys to play with, I love my students' parents so I don't mind talking with them anyhow, we have food in our pantry to cook, and money to buy the groceries that cooks the meals we eat. Yeah, I'm done complaining...thanks for walking me through that theraputic moment :)

We are blessed. I have some wonderful moments to share with you all over the past month with our family. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Picking out the perfect (little) pumpkin!

Hauling it away in the wagon ;)

Decorating with Mama.

Obviously done with the craft...she's now stacking markers ;)

The finished products. Abby's on the left, Mama's on the right

(she did draw the face on her's all by herself-eyelashes and all!)

Carving the big pumpkin with Daddy.The finished product.

Tinkerbell, Leonardo (I think), some football player, and another Tinkerbell.

Abby, Daddy, and Mama with Miss Spider.

She talked about that cake for months before and is still doing so now...thanks Hol!

A visit with Grandpa Kelly!

Abby helping me and Kyle (see below) make a pumpkin pie for

her preschool Thanksgiving feast.

Michelle (my awesome sister) and me on Thanksgiving.

All dressed up (minus shoes) for her preschool Christmas program.

Oh yes, she is the only one standing up throughout the entire show ;)

Papa got it all on film!

Getting a candy cane from Ol' St. Nick.

Abby with Mama PJ.

Abby and Nana Kate.

Papa, Nana Mary, and Abby.

Because Grey Matters.

Many of you know that my father-in-law, Jim (Kate's husband), was diagnosed with brain cancer over 13 years ago, 1 year after they got married. Through many procedures, treatments, the help of amazing doctors and nurses at Barrow's Neurological Institute, rehab, and support from countless friends and family members, we were extremely joyful to celebrate Jim's current state of being- he's here with us today. What a blessing. Simply being.

The guest of honor, Jim, and Abby.

When my mother-in-law, Kate, found out about the Brain Tumor Walk held in Tempe, she jumped at the chance to invite as many people as she could to walk in support of Jim and those who are fighting their battle with Brain Cancer, and in memory of those who aren't. She also planned a lovely coffee hour at her home that evening, filled with yummy foods (see the cake below!), great fun, and amazing music sung/played by Kate, Gavin, and some of their dear friends who have been singing in coffee houses with Jim and Kate for a long time.

The cake.

Kate, singing "the Pal song" to Jim. It was incredibly touching ;)

Many of the people there have been there from the beginning of this long journey- sometimes disheartening, but also many times of triumph and joy and hope. I, for one, have only known this family as one that is surviving and growing in spite of this disease and the changes it has forced upon their dynamic. Having watched this family make their way through this, I am still utterly amazed, awed, and inspired at how resilient people can be and how really, no matter what, they rally around as much as they can, putting their faith in God that He will see them through.

Just some of Jim's many fans and supporters.

Nana Kate and Abby.

Kate and me, sporting grey.

Me and my wonderful family!

It was a wonderful night. A night full of hope, joy, thankfulness, and love. I am so glad that I was there to witness the love and affection everyone had for Jim. What a way for God to witness to us that He has a plan, one we may never understand, but one none the less. He tells that He never promised it would be easy, it would only be worth it. I just want to end this post with one of my very favorite scriptures, one that brings me so much peace and hope in God is this,

"I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." - Phil. 4:13